Australian men have their reasons for pulling these tight togs back on. For some it’s irony; for others, pride. But for many it is simply a matter of comfort

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In the birthplace of the budgie smuggler, men are freeing their thighs in increasing numbers, embracing a style so daring that it even led to arrests in 1961.

The style’s return to prominence has seen traditional brands move millions of dollars of togs, while a new wave of independent designers are redefining the classic look.

Through the 20th century, budgies went from almost illegal to the symbol of daggy dads. They are now re-emerging in the mainstream, Maritime Museum assistant curator Inger Sheil says.

“In terms of their popularity, it does ebb and flow.

“People ironically and unironically enjoy wearing them … there’s still a lot of humour around them.”

That humour can be seen in name alone. The term “budgie smuggler” refers to a small Australian parrot, the budgerigar, that wearers appear to be concealing in their swimwear.

But the aquatic loin cloth comes with other handles: togs, sluggos, the more crass “dick stickers” – and, of course, the brand name synonymous with the style, Speedo.

In 1959, budgie smugglers were born when artist and surfer Peter Travis created the relaxed style for Speedo. They instantly caused a stir.

“[Surf lifesaver and beach inspector] Aub Laidlaw was infamous for measuring women’s swimsuits and arresting women or asking them to leave the beach,” Sheil says.

“But it’s less well known that in 1961 he had males wearing these Speedo briefs arrested as well.”

The charges were later dropped because the swimsuits hid any pubic hair, making the level of modesty lawful, but “you had this tension between morality and fashion,” Sheil says.

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By the eve of the 70s, showing skin on the sand was no longer a question. “Controversy over it perished.”

An egalitarian view of the tight togs eventually won out, so much so, that prime ministers wanted to be seen in them. In 1974, Gough Whitlam was photographed buying a bright orange and pink pair; in 1986, Bob Hawke was captured watching the cricket while sunbathing in his briefs.

From Malcolm Fraser to Malcolm Turnbull, budgies have helped male politicians signal they are just everyday blokes, Sheil says.

Most notable, perhaps though, was Australian conservative PM Tony Abbott, whose love of Speedo briefs, she says, became “the cartoonist’s favourite image”.

Possibly thanks to political dad energy, from the 1990s to the 2010s togs lost their broader appeal.

But writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law points out there is one place they have never fallen out of favour: gay culture.

“Per fashion in general, queer people are on trend first and everyone follows,” Law says. “So it’s no surprise straight people are becoming more comfortable wearing them now.”

Growing up in Queensland meant budgie smugglers were “mandatory” at swimming carnivals. And yet what horrified Law as a child delights him as an adult - he loves to snap a Speedo swimwear selfie.

“As a gay guy in Sydney, it’s now standard uniform,” he says. But it has moved beyond the scene. “If you’re doing laps at the local pool or if you’re swimming at [famed Bondi ocean pool] Icebergs and you’re not wearing them, you’re the odd one out.”

Travis was a gay man, but in 2008 he told DNAMagazine that his design’s enduring popularity with his community was “just a bonus”. Really, the cut was about comfort, with Travis saying that, “If you lifted your leg as high as you could, that is the shape.”

As it still is today, Law says. The ubiquity of the brief “sounds like peer pressure but it’s liberating”.

“People might look at bikinis and budgie smugglers and assume Sydney is so vain,” he says. “But as a committed swimmer he has noticed that “no one gives a shit what your body looks like”.

“Everyone is just kind of happy to let it hang out.”

Creative director of men’s magazine Cobber, Rhys Ripper, goes one step further, talking up the flattering nature of togs.

“Of course, men want to look great,” says Ripper. “They’re picking pieces that make their legs look better. Showing it off.”

Ripper is helping drive the trend. His styling frequently uses togs and he champions independent brands, like Gali and Pool, that are releasing playful takes.

For Mark Calleja, a love of comfort and the increasing availability of interesting togs has resulted in an entire wardrobe of them. The 47-year-old, who lives in Brisbane, owns around 100 pairs.

“In the last six years, whenever there is a pair I like I just keep my eye on them until there is a sale,” he says.

“I don’t go overboard, but I’m building a little collection. They’ve become a slight addiction, but nothing I can’t handle.”

As a gay man, Calleja says he has always loved them – even when they were out of fashion. While he says “they’ve been a bit of a stigma”, he adds “I’ve never had a problem”.

“They look good, they’re less restrictive, I’ve just always preferred them.”

Togs are not just contentious in Australia - international opinion is divided. Europeans love them, Americans hate them. Everyone is perplexed by the name. But Australians should embrace them as their own, Ripper says.

“A lot of Australians have grown up wearing them, it’s part of our culture.”

“If it’s not part of your culture, you’re going to worry. You’re going to worry about the size of your penis or if your bum looks good, but if you’re bought up around them, you’re oblivious to it.”With straight men starting to re-embrace the more revealing look, there is one other reason the togs have stayed a staple on Australian beaches.

“Fashion cycles around,” Sheil says. “But they never entirely left us because they are comfortable.”

This article was amended on 11 September 2023. References to Speedo swimming briefs were changed to reflect that Speedo is a brand name and not a generic term for trunks of the “budgie smuggler” style.

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